I got complacent and paid the price.

I left Interstate 15 at exit 280 in Great Falls, Montana, looking for the Flying J. I missed my turn and turned around in a nearby abandoned Sinclair gas station. The canopy over the gas pumps was about 6 inches too low. I didn't hear a sound nor feel a shudder as the canopy ripped off almost everything on my roof. Fortunately, someone saw what happened and stopped to tell me. At my request, he also recommended an RV dealer that could make repairs.

I lost all three vent covers, a Fantastic fan, the refrigerator vent, all sewer vent caps and the radio antenna. The TV antenna was salvageable but the base needed repairs. The shower sunroof was crumpled like tin foil but amazingly unbroken. Thankfully, the air conditioner was on the rear sloping portion of the roof and escaped with only a few dents in the cover.

As I headed for the dealer, a few drops of rain fell on my windshield and I have three large holes in my roof. I am thinking that my insurance company and I are going to be taken to the cleaners and I am going to be staying in a motel for a week while parts are ordered and repairs are made.

The rain stopped and within ten minutes after arriving at McCollum Modern RVs, the service manager had three service technicians swarming over the roof of my fifthwheel. In less than two hours, repairs were complete. The bill for parts and labor was $575. That was a lot less than I had expected considering my vulnerable position. I shudder to think what would have happened had that canopy been a few inches lower. Now we are are talking about severe structural damage and a new rubber roof.

My hat is off to McCollum Modern RVs for their rapid response and reasonable charges. Since my insurance deductible was $500, this will be an expensive lesson which, I hope, will make me more careful in the future.